Growing Pains: First Church vs Second Church

Story by Jeanie Wendt

With two Presbyterian churches in Bloomington, First Church founded in 1833 and our church in 1855, dissension over membership transfers and policies became apparent.
Session minutes from Jan. 17, 1868, record that some of our members were received “improperly” without letters to First Church. Consequently, on Feb. 5, 1868 our Clerk of Session went to the home of the pastor of First Church and was told he would not share information respecting names of those received. Our Session wrote a “Letter of Remonstrance” to the proceedings of the First Church. They in turn called the letter an “obstacle which, so long as it remains, makes consultation impossible.”

With the unification of Old School and New School into the Presbyterian Church USA in 1870, First and Second Church began an era of cooperation. That same year Rev. Dr. John Dinsmore began his 20-year pastorate while the scars of the Civil War began to fade.

The following are examples of entries from our Session minutes noting significant examples of friendship and cooperation between our two churches.

Feb. 7, 1886 First Church accepts invitation to hold separate worship services in the
church following fire damage to their church.

Mar. 1, 1886 First Church’s Session is invited to share in serving communion.

June 23, 1893 Services are held with First Church during pastor’s vacation.

And from the Pantagraph August 29, 1892

The First Presbyterian Church of Bloomington ceased to exist as a separate congregation in 1964 when it merged with Union Presbyterian forming today’s St. Luke Union Church.